Ukraine's missile program makes strides with new long-range and anti-aircraft systems
Ukraine has advanced towards the creation of its own missile with a striking range of approximately 700 kilometers, while also working on an anti-aircraft missile system capable of reaching a 100 km radius. This isn't an entirely new area of focus for Ukraine. Back in April, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the commencement of serial production for these new missile prototypes. According LIGA.net, recent updates about the 700 km-range missile were shared by Volodymyr Horbulin, First Vice President of the National Academy of Sciences and former Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, and Valentyn Badrak, Director of the Center for Army, Conversion, and Disarmament Studies.
They pointed out President Zelensky's April remarks that new missile models had entered production, coinciding with Russian sources' claims of a "significant modernization" of Ukraine’s Neptune anti-ship missile—thus potentially extending its range from 280 km to 400 km.
Beyond these developments, President Zelensky announced in late August that Ukraine's military deployed a new weapon, the "Palianytsia" drone missile, in an attack against Russian forces during the Independence Day celebrations. Additionally, Ukraine has reportedly completed successful tests on its first ballistic missile.
Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to the Head of Ukraine's Presidential Office, has also noted that this new Ukrainian ballistic missile has a range of around 600–700 kilometers. While further specifics remain undisclosed, experts suspect this relates to the "Sapsan" project, which began in Ukraine's defense industry in the early 2000s.
Originally, the "Sapsan" tactical missile system was designed as a counterpart to Russia’s “Iskander” system, intended to reach up to 500 km with a warhead of about 500 kg.
Completion was initially slated for 2012, but financial constraints delayed progress. The project faced cancellation under President Viktor Yanukovych in June 2013.
At that time, Ukrainian Defense Minister Pavlo Lebedev announced the full cessation of the "Sapsan" project. He is currently under investigation for treason and is reportedly hiding in the temporarily occupied Crimea.
However, by 2016, rumors surfaced about the revival of the "Sapsan" initiative under the name "Thunder-2". Reports suggest that Ukraine began developing this system with a range limit of 280 km, at the request of Saudi Arabia.
As of February 2021, former Defense Minister Andriy Taran announced that the "Sapsan" was 80% complete.
The missile battery planned to comprise two launch platforms and loading vehicles, alongside two control units at divisional and battery levels, to expedite thorough testing. However, following the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, updates on "Thunder-2" vanished from the news.
In autumn 2022, an employee of Dnipro's Pivdenne Design Bureau was arrested on charges of espionage. She allegedly relayed data on "Sapsan" production to Russian intelligence.
By this account, the missile complex was at manufacturing readiness as of summer 2022.
In August 2024, military expert and "Come Back Alive" foundation leader Taras Chmut revealed that Ukraine is currently engineering three modifications of the "Sapsan."
"Regrettably, it was not until 2022 that Ukraine's government secured funding for these systems," Chmut commented.